The Thinnest Filaments
by ManaChromalynn
Summary: When Edward left Bella behind in New Moon, he left her in a world full of danger. In Bella's time of need, a new coven of vampires moves into Forks. And now, they will protect her, instead. Her wish, the one thing she wanted from Edward, is granted, and she is ready to finally be Superwoman, and never again Lois Lane. Will the Cullens be too late to reconcile with beloved Bella?
1. Chapter 1 - Rainy Day, as Always

" _We hold on to even the thinnest filaments connected to our human lives. We always will." - Reina Castiglione_

 _Reina's POV_

It was becoming abundantly clear to me that it was a time of many changes.

In a rather dramatic fashion, I was laying in the back of my mother's car, trying fruitlessly to avoid the California sun. We had lived there for less than a year, and only going out during the nighttime and the rare cloudy day was starting to wear on all of us, physically and emotionally. Our next option, and the closest, was the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

I hated moving. But imagining shopping during the day without worry, sitting in a coffee shop on a rainy day, and being able to hunt more often...they were the images that built my excitement. I was most definitely ready for that.

My sister was sitting in the small space that my body did not occupy in the back row of seats. My junior by merely a year or two, her growth had been stopped as a fifteen year old when our mother bit us and brought us into this life. Still, she didn't much look like a child of that age. Her features were stern, and her posture perfectly proper. She was also, of course, stunning. Her short, black hair was formed into loose curls that touched the nape of her neck. Currently, her hair was framed sweetly over her face as she rapidly took notes in a weathered notebook. She was wearing a black dress, as per usual, with a white Peter Pan collar. The heels she was wearing were clearly intended to make her look a little taller. The poor thing was laughably short.

But, then again, so was I. I wasn't much older. I had been changed at around sixteen years old, I think; I no longer remembered.

My adoptive, vampiric mother was named Colette Castiglione. I had also taken her last name when she took me in, and changed my first name from Osana, to Reina. I was no queen, but I needed an aliases for a while, and it stuck.

My sister, however, was not adoptive. She had been my sister in my human life as well. Helena, she had been. 'Layla' was an aliases as 'Reina' was. We were Italian, born in what was modern-day Venice, Italy. I'd lost my father and brother to the Great Wars of Italy during the early 1500s. I'd lost my 'life' shortly thereafter, when I'd gone out with Layla—not knowing the fate of our dear brother—to find out where he'd gone, hoping to bring him home forever. A lonely, young Colette had found us, cold and nearly starving, in a back-alley. She had been changed about a year prior to that, in her mid twenties by a man who tried to seduce her. She changed us, showing an incredible amount of restraint for a near-newborn who fed very often; she had been _that_ lonely, and that desperate to mother us.

So, I did not bear any resentment towards her. I did not remember my human mother nearly at all, but I doubt she'd been very kind if I'd wandered off looking for comfort from my long-gone brother and father.

"Reina?"

I blinked rapidly, if only out of shock. I guess I had been dazed for a while. "Yes, mother?"

"Are you all right, dear?" she asked tentatively, reaching back to run a hand through my black locks. "You've been quiet for so long. I'm sorry if this move is hard on you."

"It isn't, not at all," I answered with a sigh. "I'm relieved, too relieved even. I _need_ to go out during the day without a parasol. It's something I've been longing for...for too long. A year shouldn't have felt that long. But a year without rain is a very long year."

And, to make me feel even better, we had entered a rainy portion of Oregon. I finally sat up, and adjusted my body so I was nearest to the side window.

I could see her smile from the front mirror. "We're in Portland. I think I'd like to settle in _Forks_."

"Excuse me?" Layla questioned quietly, raising an eyebrow. I knew a sarcastic remark would follow. "I thought that was a utensil. I'd rather live in a nice little apartment."

Mother snorted. "It's a small town in Washington. The population is a little less than four thousand. It's sort of thought of as a retirement-type town. I have an apartment lined up for us to move in when we get there."

"Oh, fantastic, we get to drink geezer blood." Layla huffed. She really hated change, but I could tell she was considering some of the same things I was. She was as tired of the California sun as I was, almost.

My mother, the speed demon, got us into Forks around an hour later. True to her word, we had an apartment waiting for us in this rainy town. It was quite nice. As I roamed around the area, I noticed three bedrooms, two bathrooms (though we didn't need those aside from if hunting got a little too messy), a kitchen (also unnecessary), a living room, a sun room (pointless), and a few closets. Carefully, so as to not appear too strong or too fast to the human tenants, we started to unload our furniture, clothing, and other sentimental items. We were asked several times if we needed help, but seeing as we were all very hungry, it would complicate things immensely. We already had to avert our red eyes until we could get in some contacts...

We tried to feed on the scum of the world. But in a small town, it would be hard. That was my only worry. I hadn't always killed rapists, murderers, and abusers. I couldn't. I slipped up, like any other vampire.

My life was full of guilt, as was the life of most other vampires who had managed to bring their human conscience back to the surface. I sat alone in the bedroom I had chosen, putting together my bed at an inhuman pace. I did not need that, either. However, it was nice to rest. It was nice to close my eyes, and feel peace.

Immortality...sucks. It really does. But I was making the best of it that I could.

It was the beginning of January, but Forks wasn't terribly cold. As I understood it now, most of the Forks' forecast was cloudy and rainy, with the very occasional snow, or sunny day. As the evening wore on, and my room came together, I began to itch for a walk, and a meal. Layla and my mother were both entirely focused on putting together a glass and wood case that held Layla's ancient collection of porcelain dolls, so they didn't notice me slip out of the apartment and take off. I wasn't entirely sure of where I was going, but the area wasn't terribly difficult to look around. I decided to take a look through the forest that was nearby. The amount of greenery here was almost too beautiful. It was amazing that, even in January, everything was just as green as it could be. I could even see a few flowers...or were they weeds?

Then, to my utmost surprise, the forest opened into a clearing.

And it was beautiful.

Flowers of all kinds bloomed around the open area, immediately capturing my interest. I pulled a camera out of the small bag thrown haphazardly over my shoulder, and took a picture. I'd meant to take more while we were on the road, but my mother hadn't been in much of a mood to take pit stops. Maybe she'd wanted this move even more than I did after all. I laughed to myself, quietly. I could hear some rustling near me, but it was probably just a deer. I'd seen a ton during my walk, and they did not smell appetizing in the slightest. But they were cute, in a way. I preferred cats. Mother, to soften the blow of having to uproot and move on such short notice, had promised me a cat soon. I smiled at the thought.

The wind picked up then, bringing rain with it, and the smell of flowers…

But it was so strong. It was too strong.

It was...human blood? All the way out here?

I spun around, my vampiric senses pulling me towards the smell unwillingly. Instantly, my eyes caught the source.

It was a girl.

Her knees were pulled into her chest, and she appeared to be very emotional. And she smelled so...good…

I shook my head. I needed to keep it together.

I held my breath as I walked towards her. Her long, mahogany locks were wet from the rain, but she did not seem to care. She shook slightly as well. I couldn't quite tell, but it had to be a bit cold. The temperature was comfortable with my body, which hung around fifty degrees, so to a near one-hundred degree human it was probably pretty chilly out here. What was she doing out here, and alone at that? She couldn't be much older than Layla and me. I tried to harden my footfalls slightly, so she could hear me approaching and I wouldn't scare her to death, but she was apparently quite upset, or lost. Or she just did not care what happened to her...the thought appealed to my insatiable blood lust, but more of me was concerned.

"Hello." I began uneasily. She slowly moved her head up, almost robotically, to look for the voice she had just heard. My God in Heaven, she looked pitiful. Not only was she clearly a few pounds underweight, but she looked like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. Her eyes finally met mine, and she blanched.

Whoops. My eyes are blood red, and this girl is a human. Way to go, Reina. Now you _have_ to kill her.

However, her expression softened suddenly, surprising me yet again.

"Hello," she said softly. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I could ask you the same," I laughed a little. "But now neither of us are alone."

"Who are you?" she asked, her uneasiness gone completely. In fact, she almost seemed eager. Maybe she didn't notice my eye color? I really hoped so. Maybe I could have a totally normal interaction with a human being, for once.

"Reina Castiglione," I answered honestly. No need to lie, if I was going to fit in here. "I'm new in town. Who are you?"

"Isabella Swan," she murmured. "But call me Bella, please."

"An Italian name, too, huh?" I smiled. "I don't have a nickname or anything. Could I even make one out of my name? Maybe Rei, or something, but I don't think it would catch on."

I was rambling. At this rate, I'd have to kill her just so no one knew how awkward I really was around humans.

Still, she seemed at least a little amused. "What are you doing out here, though, really? Are you hunting?"

Now it was my turn to blanch. There was no way she knew, right? She had to mean regular, animal hunting. But I didn't have a gun, or a knife, or anything else that would have indicated I was doing so. Did she really know about vampires? Did that explain her lackluster reaction to my eyes?

I had spent hundreds of years in Italy. I knew the Volturi _very_ personally, and I knew it was very much against vampire law to tell a human about us. My eyes narrowed without me noticing, and she looked a little nervous now. She must know now that she shouldn't have clued me in to the fact that she knew. But, what vampire did she know? Did they have intentions to change her soon?

"My boy-..." she stopped, curling further into herself. "My ex-boyfriend was one of you."

Well that...that was interesting. As good as she smelled, I could understand why he was probably first drawn to her. But this girl was clearly hurting by the thought. What had he done to her? Clearly she had to understand that not all vampires would be docile enough to be friendly to her. In fact, nearly none at all would. Not that I would make a good point saying that to her, when I was being kind to her. I kneeled down a little closer to her, watching with unbridled interest as her eyes began to water. Would she cry? I was near the age of being married off by my parents when I was turned, but marriage and love didn't exactly co-exist when I was young. Bella obviously loved this man, whoever he was. I had never loved a man. The only real love I felt was for my mother, and sister. But humans were emotional and sentimental for each other more casually than vampires were. I felt bad for this girl, but I wanted to know more. Would she tell me anything else?

"Well, I won't hurt you," I said, cautiously. "I'm not too hungry."

"But, your eyes..." she pointed out weakly. "They're red."

"As opposed to what color?" I asked, crinkling my nose in confusion. This girl was weird.

"Gold," she answered hesitantly. "My...he had...gold eyes. He and his family drank animal blood. They called it a vegetarian diet for vampires. You drink human blood, don't you?"

I made a face. I had, from time to time, heard of that diet. But I thought it was merely a joke in the vampire community. I did not think it possible to satiate your thirst off of animal blood of any kind. "So you let me sit with you this whole time, thinking that at any moment I might kill you? Where is your sense of self preservation?"

"Gone, like him." she laughed tiredly, and it sounded a little maniacal almost. He really had hurt this girl, whoever he was. I couldn't see why. She was very pretty. If he truly loved her, and was able to restrain him to the point of never drinking a human's blood, there shouldn't have been a problem with turning her. Right?

"I haven't really been myself these days," she continued. "I used to be really careful, if you can believe that."

"And you let him change that." I pointed out, matter of factly. I hope she didn't think I sounded harsh, but why had she let a man, vampire or not, make her this sad?

"He was everything to me," she said, sadly. "I always wanted to be his Superwoman, but he never let me be anything but Lois Lane. Ed-Edward always thought that I would be giving up my soul if I became like him. So he left me human. His brother, the newest to the animal diet, attacked me on my eighteenth birthday..."

Here, she shivered, as if recalling this memory. I remained quiet and still, not wanting to upset her. If she needed to vent to me, I would let her. But why did she trust me? I didn't follow the diet of her ex-boyfriend and his family. To her, I must look like a monster.

I guess I am one. But I did my best not to be.

"I got a paper cut from opening a present," she laughed hoarsely, although it held not a trace of humor. "It seems like such a little thing, right? But the blood made his brother attack me, and Edward blamed himself for it. He said I wasn't good for him anymore, and he left me here alone. That was so many months he was with me, and for nothing. I should have known I could mean nothing to someone like him."

"Someone like him?" I raised an eyebrow. "A jerk, or a vampire?"

She smiled wryly. "A vampire."

"Vampires feel very deeply for their mates, is what I know to be true," I said softly. "If that is what you were to him, he misses you. Perhaps he left with your best interest at heart, but if you're out in the woods alone, I guess he did not expect you to lose your will to survive."

"He made me promise to keep myself safe," Bella said, cringing externally. "And I'm not doing that. But he promised never to leave me, so moot point, I guess."

"You should keep yourself safe, Bella," I replied, standing up as I prepared to leave. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

For a moment her expression remained the same as she got up to stand beside me, but then, she seemed overcome by a burst of passion. She whirled around to look at me, an intense look in her eyes. I stepped back unconsciously, a little shocked. This girl really had to at least hold a position in the top five strangest humans I'd ever met.

"Take me home with you," she pleaded. "They didn't want to give me my wish, but you can, right?"

"Your wish?" I questioned hesitantly. "Death?"

She made a face. "I want to be like you."

I thought about the prospect for a moment. A fourth family member would make things even, finally. She did seem to be very kind, and pleasant to be around. She already knew of the existence of vampires as well, so I would be doing her and those who had exposed themselves to her a favor by keeping them out of the Volturi's watchful eyes. But I would also be condemning her to an immortal life, one that would probably be pain-filled, as turning her into a vampire would not cease her longing for her ex-mate. In fact, it would probably only exacerbate it to an unbearable degree if she didn't train herself to slowly let go of those feelings.

"Please?" her voice broke. "I have nothing left..."

"You have no family?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, I do, but..."

I shook my head furiously, and she flinched like I'd hit her.

"It will be years before you can see anyone in your family again in close quarters," I warned her. "You have no idea what you're asking for, Bella."

"I do," she whispered. "There's a vampire after me, too."

"A vampire after you?" I narrowed my eyes. I'd heard of vampires who would go after one specific human. They were called trackers. But how could she have evaded one for any amount of time on her own?

"Her name is Victoria," Bella replied, as if the name were a curse. "Ed- _he_ killed her mate last spring, when he decided to track me. Now she's taking his place to get revenge on Edward. I have to keep my family safe. And Jake and the pack..."

"Is Jake and the Pack a new band, or…"

Bella sighed a little. "They're shapeshifters—werewolves. They've been protecting me from Victoria since he left. They're just a bunch of teenage boys, but..."

I jumped back, immediately revolted. Did she just gravitate towards monsters? Adolescent werewolves were almost as big of a danger as newborn vampires. They were so easy to set off, and once you did, there was no going back. Maybe I did need to save her.

"Jake will never want to see me again," she continued, her tone mournful. "He's already made it pretty clear how he feels about vampires. But I have to protect him. I can't let Victoria get to him, or Charlie…I have to be strong enough to protect them somehow, and this is the only way I know. So please, please help me. I'll do anything. I'll be in your debt forever."

I shifted uncomfortably on the balls of my feet. This girl really was in a tough spot. And, without a doubt, I would love to have another sister. But how would Layla and Colette react? We had just started to settle in Forks, and now I was proposing the addition of another family member? Layla would probably want to eat her before even thinking about making her a sister. I would have to go about this carefully…

I looked into her eyes, pleading and lost.

I would help her. Welcome to the family, Isabella. For better or worse, you are my sister.

* * *

 **A/N: Umm...yeah. I don't really know how to describe this story. I created these characters years ago, and decided to rewrite this story on a whim. ^^;; We'll see if it goes anywhere...goodbye for now. Please review if you liked it...or if you didn't, and have some suggestions for improvement. I'll take it all!**

 **-PatchyVoile**


	2. Chapter 2 - Complications and Friendship

_Reina's POV_

Bella was kind enough to hold an umbrella over me as we ventured back to the apartment. For some reason, even though I knew the conversation ahead was most likely going to be difficult, I was feeling cheery as I walked with her. She seemed to be feeling a lot lighter herself, though it appeared her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts a minute. Honestly, I had never in all my years heard of a situation like the one she was in here. What would my family think of her?

As we reached the apartment stairs, I started to notice that Bella—to her own apparent disdain—was well known around here. She apologized to me embarrassedly then, informing me that she was the police chief's daughter, and thus a little popular against her will. That certainly didn't help matters. We would need to discuss how we would handle this very extensively, I realized as I finally got to the door. If I still had a working heart, it would be pounding. I had no idea how my family would react, or even if I would have to do something like defend Bella from their blood lust. Hesitantly, I reached out, and rapped on the door twice.

Colette, thankfully, opened the door instead of Layla.

"O-Oh!" she exclaimed immediately, lowering her eyes. "Reina, I thought I told you to wait a little while before inviting any neighbors over. We still have _quite_ a few things to get done before we mingle..."

"Mother, we have to talk," I began nervously. "Can she come inside? This is strange, but it's important to me."

"Sweetheart..."

"She knows about us." I spoke sharply, looking Bella right in the eyes to hopefully prove my point. Bella looked right back at me, seeming to understand my unspoken words. My mother tried to hold back a gasp, though it was unsuccessful. Layla's attention had now been gathered, and she pranced over the door to check out the commotion.

"Reina brought a _friend_?" Layla questioned somewhat menacingly, exposing her sharp incisors as she smiled.

Colette made a face. "Settle down there, Draculaura. Reina, bring her inside, and explain yourself quickly."

Bella was becoming more tense by the moment, and I felt terrible. Had I just unintentionally lead her to her death? I looked at Layla pleadingly, hoping she somehow understood that I needed her to ignore her nature for just a little while so I could explain myself. Layla gazed back into my eyes for a moment, and then turned away with a scowl. But I knew that she would behave herself now, at least for a little while. I smiled, relieved.

"This is Isabella Swan," I introduced the girl quickly. "I found her out in the forest back that way and talked to her for a little while. I guess I'll let her take it from here."

"I-I would like to be one of you." she started, earning shocked gazes from my family. She then quickly stumbled over her story, from her vampire ex-boyfriend, to her friend group of adolescent werewolves, and then the scary part—the tracker vampire, Victoria. For a moment, Colette seemed to be processing the story. She looked to be very intrigued. Layla was trying to hide the fact that was interested, as well, but she couldn't really hide much of anything from her five hundred year old sister.

"Why...why don't you sit down, dear?" Colette offered. "I guess I finished the dining room table just in time."

Cautiously, Bella sat down at our table. I took a seat next to her, hoping the little bit of a bond we'd made in the forest would help ease her nervousness a little. Truthfully, the longer she was here, the more excited I became at the prospect of having a new sister. I'd longed to expand our coven for a while, but it was rare that we ever ran into a lone vampire, and they were usually more comfortable being just that. This was a good opportunity, in my head, and my family was taking things better than I thought.

But, even so, there was a lot to consider. She was the police chief's daughter. We had just moved here. There were a pack of werewolves—who had an inherent hatred for vampires—already protecting her. She would have to be patient with us while we sorted these things out.

"I suppose my concerns are the same as my daughters' probably are," Colette faced Bella as she said this. "We _did_ just move here, Bella, and changing you would cause a lot of concern amongst those who are close to you. It isn't as if you have no family and friends, so it's something we have to keep in mind. However, I do understand your desire to keep them safe during this time. We'll monitor the situation while we figure things out for your transformation. Just give us a little time to think about our decision, is all we ask."

Layla leaned in, strangely close, to Bella. I gave her an irritated look as Bella looked down at the invader of her personal space in shock.

"You smell _really_ good." Layla said slowly.

Colette rolled her eyes, grabbing Layla by the ear and yanking her back. "Ignore Draculaura. She's sweet when she isn't hungry."

"No the hell she is not."

"Hush, Reina."

Bella laughed quietly at the banter, and I couldn't help but smile, too.

"Stay with us for the night, sweetheart," Colette suggested kindly. "The three of us will go hunting in the morning, and you can tend to your affairs with your friends and family at home."

"I'd love to, thank you," Bella replied shyly. "Is there anything I can help you guys with to get moved in?"

Colette smiled. "Not really, unless you want to help decorate the girls' rooms."

Bella nodded fiercely. "I can help."

Before we could get up, a low growling noise confused the entire lot of us.

"Before you blame me, I did not do that." Layla said sourly, still rubbing her sore ear.

The smell Bella emanated suddenly became stronger. She was blushing; how cute and completely human that was. I felt a sad pang in my heart, one I hadn't felt in a long time. I missed my humanity more than anyone around me knew.

"Sorry, I'm just a little hungry," Bella admitted embarrassedly. "Just ignore it, please; I'm fine..."

"Nonsense," Colette, ever the kindest mother I knew, said. "Layla, go out and get Bella something to eat and drink at the corner store we passed down the street."

Layla scowled again. "And why should I?"

Colette huffed. "Because..."

She reached into her pocketbook, and pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill. "I'm giving you extra money to look for souvenirs if you want. Now get on out of here, my little pain in the ass."

"She doesn't have to..." Bella began shyly, but Layla was already running out of the door with an insane amount of gusto. I shook my head, smiling a little. The most human part of my sister, the part of her I loved the most, was her unquenchable wanderlust. She had buttons, brochures, and maps from everywhere we'd ever lived and visited. Some, she could probably make an insane amount of money off of, seeing as they were a hundred plus years old, but she would never. They were all on the bookshelf in her room, neatly placed in binders, or—in the case of the maps—hung up on her wall.

"Mother, does Layla even know what most humans like to eat?" I asked, suddenly a little nervous. I knew what Bella might like to eat, but Layla definitely did not know, or care. Something told me she was going to come home with a live animal from the pet store instead. I cringed.

"Ah, damn it," Colette cursed. "I just wanted her out of our hair for a second, but you're right. Sorry if she comes back with something you don't like, Bella."

"It's okay, really," Bella attempted to reassure us nervously. "I'll eat anything."

Colette frowned. "You certainly need to, dear. You look sickly."

Bella sighed softly. "I didn't mean to let everything go when...he left...but..."

Colette attempted to distract her from the thought by asking her what she thought of the living room's new decorations, and I went to work trying to finish up my room. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My family reacted to her a lot better than I thought, but that probably only meant that we had a really hard time ahead of us with everything else. I sighed at the thought, but if nothing else, she would certainly make our lives more interesting in this small town. She already had, clearly. I finished hanging up my clothes and wall decorations at a normal pace, so I could think. As a final touch, I placed the small, framed picture of myself, Colette, and Layla in front of my childhood home on my nightstand. It was old now. We'd taken it back in the seventies. Of course, we looked the same, but the picture quality was a little laughable. Still, I treasured it.

I heard the door open and close just as I finished. This should be interesting. I wonder what Layla had brought Bella to eat?

I strolled back into the living room as casually as I could. Mother and Bella were unpacking some kitchen items that we, for some reason, always had around. As if we had guests, ever. Layla had just walked back in, carrying two bags, one of which was significantly larger than the other. I grimaced. If a live animal was in one of those, I think I'd probably beat my sister senseless.

"Here, human," Layla said, tossing Bella the larger bag. Bella shrieked, and Colette had to save her by catching it before it hit her right in the head. "Whoops."

Colette didn't have the chance to reprimand Layla before she excitedly dug into her own bag of goodies, which consisted of only a keychain, and a snow globe. I snorted. Bella politely unwrapped the bag, while I held my breath nervously. Thankfully, Layla had come through this once. It was just a sandwich, and a Coke. Bella thanked her sincerely, despite the fact that she'd almost killed her by chucking the bag at her, but Layla was too busy geeking out to notice. Oh, that girl…

As the evening wore on, Bella seemed to be becoming tense again. Was she worried we'd eat her while she was sleeping, or something?

Once we got some time alone, when she came to my room to hand me an article of clothing that had been in another box, I decided to talk to her.

"Thank you, Bella," I said, taking the pair of shorts from her and folding them up to put away. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess," she said, though I could tell she was feeling weary. The raccoon-like dark circles under her eyes looked like they'd gotten even worse since she came over. "I just got off the phone with Jake..."

"Oh?" I questioned, finally taking a seat on the bed. "How did that go?"

"Not good," she confessed, shaking her head. "I tried bringing up the idea to him without throwing you guys under the bus. I asked what he would do if I became a vampire, and I was able to protect myself. He completely flipped. Jake has never talked to me like that before; he said he'd rather see me dead than as a 'bloodsucker'. And, even worse..."

I frowned. "What is it?"

"He reminded me of something," she said, her tone building in anxiety. "The only reason the pack never attacked the Cullens is because they had a treaty with them. The treaty stated that they couldn't kill, or turn a human until they moved on elsewhere. If Jake and the pack find out that you turned me, they'll kill all of you. I-I'm sorry to have wasted your time, but I really can't ask that of you anymore…"

I scoffed. "I'm sure we could handle a bunch of adolescent, stinky wolves. Are you sure, Bella?"

Bella cringed. "I don't want anybody 'handling' anybody, is the thing. But you should know, if they find out you're killing humans at all, they will go after you."

"I..." I began, though I was completely lost for words. "I don't know what to say, Bella. I believe you, but what do we do?"

"You'd have to change your diet, or leave," Bella said. "And I don't want you to leave..."

"Have you spoken to my mother and sister?" I asked, still flabbergasted.

"Yeah," she said softly. "Your sister didn't take it very well...I think she wants to leave."

"Of course she does," I sighed. "She hates change."

Bella was quiet for a moment, but then she looked back up at me. "Who are you?"

I made a face which I'm sure was very confused, and concerned. "I told you, didn't I? I'm Reina Castiglione."

"I mean, I want to know more," she declared. "Ed- _he_...was a little over a hundred years old. He was dying of the Spanish Influenza when his father, Carlisle, saved him."

I took a deep breath, hoping no painful memories would come up if I told her everything. "My human name was Osana. I was born in a sort-of middle class family in Italy...around 1509, I think. I lost my father and my brother to the Great Wars of Italy when I was fifteen or sixteen years old. I went out looking for them, with Layla. I suppose my mother was a tad abusive, in the verbal sense. She never thought I, nor Layla, were good enough to marry off. What I remember of her were passive aggressive remarks, and that's about it. Colette found us in a dirty alley a month later, and turned us both. Since then, we've moved around a lot. We lived in close quarters with the Volturi for a little under fifty years, and then moved to Spain. That's where I got my aliases, Reina."

"Volturi..." Bella murmured, her eyes widening in fear.

"What about them?" I asked her, frowning at the change in mood.

" _He_ told me about them a little bit before he left," she explained, nervously playing with her fingers and watching them turn from pale to red. I fought to the urge to lick my lips. I _really_ needed to go hunting soon. "He said they were a little bit like royalty of your kind."

I nodded. "Yes, I guess you could say that. They're thousands of years old, and completely ruthless. They established modern vampire law, and we have to follow it—or suffer their wrath instead. And no one wants that, believe me."

Bella shivered. "Sorry for interrupting. Continue, please."

I smiled slightly. "I don't blame you for being curious. And there isn't much more to say about me. We moved to America in the 1800s, and we've been moving around the country ever since. Only in the past one hundred years have we been on our very best behavior, I would say. That is, living amongst humans, trying our best to only kill the lowest of the low in your world...er, in morals, not finances. I'm not killing homeless people, I promise."

Bella stifled a laugh. "You're really...interesting, Reina."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment, Isabella," I grinned. "Try not to worry. We'll figure things out, I hope."

I didn't know if it was true. In fact, I didn't know if much of anything would go okay right now. But I would try my best to ensure that they would. Maybe it was just in Bella's nature to have this ability to draw the unnatural to her. Regardless, for either that reason or another, I was drawn to her, too. I couldn't just let this go now.

* * *

 _Bella's POV_

"Try not to worry. We'll figure things out, I hope."

It was just as convincing as it was uncertain. But, I would have to take it. I couldn't ask for anything else when they were already putting their lives on the line just to be with me right now, at this moment. I shivered.

Why did vampires and the wolves have that natural hatred for each other? Jacob said it was because werewolves were protectors, and vampires were predators, but was that really it? Jacob had to know that not all vampires were like that. Even if he was too young, too naive to realize that, Billy had to know.

I sighed, closing my eyes as my head began to spin. No. He didn't have to know, because he didn't care to know. He had made it pretty clear to me how he felt about _him_ when we started dating. In fact, he had paid Jacob in a car part he needed to come to my junior prom to warn me about him. Even if they changed their diet to animals only, they would get no respect from the pack. Would they even want to form a treaty with another coven?

I couldn't think straight. I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I had been so deep in my thoughts, I hadn't realized Reina had left to go somewhere else. The hole in my chest burned at the edges like a flame to a flimsy sheet of paper. I wrapped my arms around my middle and bit my lip, praying that I wouldn't start to hyperventilate again. Doctor Gerandy had called it something similar to a panic attack, and that was something that I wish he hadn't told Charlie. It only worsened his anger and worry to the point where I felt smothered at home. This night here was a welcome break in more ways than one.

"Bella, sweetheart?"

The pang in my chest worsened. Colette was so much like Esme that it hurt. Even if she was a little more crude, she still exuded that same, motherly kindness. I missed her so much…

"Bella..."

Slowly, I lowered my arms from my burning, aching chest. "Y-Yes?"

"Where would you like to sleep tonight?" she asked gently. "You can sleep in any of our three rooms. We, of course, don't sleep, so it's no inconvenience."

Layla, who had just walked by, took a few steps backwards until she was in our view. She made a face.

"Two rooms," she said. "I have very private things to do tonight. And I don't like other people in my bed."

"Layla..." Colette began, her tone threatening.

Reina skipped back into the room. "By 'private things' she means watching kiddie shows she's too embarrassed to tell anyone about, and scribbling nonsense in that dumb notebook."

Layla glowered at me, and I shrank back. "Fine. But if she wants to sleep in my room, I'm going to tell her about the declining honey bee population, and she is going to listen."

With that, she stomped away, about as threateningly as an angry kitten. It didn't help that she apparently wanted to preach to me about fuzzy, stinging bugs and where they were going. This family was definitely a little more quirky than... _they_ were, but maybe that would be good for me. At this point, I would try anything to attempt to get back to my old self...but would I get my wish, eventually? Right now, it seemed unlikely. At this point, it felt like all forces in the universe were trying to keep me as Lois Lane. I was nobody's hero.

Would I ever be? I really, really wanted to be…

"You can sleep in my room tonight, Bella," Reina offered, smiling. I tried to smile back, though I'm sure it didn't look very convincing. "I won't let Draculaura take a nip at you."

"She's...she's something." I tried to make it sound complimentary, but I felt too put off by her to hide it.

Reina laughed. "Don't feel bad. She's my sister and she's still a little odd to me. She's just our one of a kind."

I smiled a little. "I swear I didn't mean it in a bad way. She is really funny..."

"I suppose you could say that," Reina hummed. "But, you should know, the bee thing wasn't a joke. She's really into that stuff."

 _"_ _THE_ _POPULATION IS_ _DECLINING AT AN ALARMING RATE, REINA."_

 _"_ Tell it someone who cares, babe," Reina yelled back, and then sighed. "Anyway, my point is, she's great when you get to know her. She's really into history, and geography, and she loves nature and Gothic fashion. She's got a lot of humanity left in her. It was really hard on her to lose her life and become a vampire at first, but she's actually adjusted to it better than I have. She loves this life. She loves being strong, and fast, and never having to worry about mortality. I, on the other hand..."

She lowered her head. "I miss my humanity, Bella. I'm scared thinking I may suffer the, you know, effects of immortality eventually. Time passing alarmingly fast, losing my will to live...it is scary. And I want to do other things that I cannot do as a vampire. I want to go to school. I want to do something with myself...be around other kids my 'age'...you know? It's just, I'm hoping this gives you two different points of view to consider extensively."

"I understand," I replied, though I could see both points of view being things I would feel, and that confused me immensely. "But don't you know that you can go to school, Reina?"

She blinked rapidly. "N-No...I can't..."

"Ed- _he_ and his family did," I replied. "That's how I met him, at school. Jasper was new to the diet, but he still managed with some help. If it's something you want, you could pull it off with time..."

"Really…?"

She seemed shocked, but her expression burst into a smile immediately after. Maybe that's what I could offer her in return, if she and her family really would do all this for me. I could help Reina do what she wanted, to get some of her humanity back.

"I feel like we've known each other forever," Reina continued shyly. "It's hard to believe all this has happened in a day. But you should get some rest, Bella."

Just as I was about to say I wasn't tired, I let out a herculean yawn. Fatigue set over me like the warmest of blankets, and I knew I couldn't fight it.

"Seriously, rest," Reina laughed. "I won't let Layla get you. She knows we're going hunting tomorrow anyway. And, don't tell, but I think she likes you just a little after all."

I didn't hear much after, though I thought I tried to respond. I felt someone, probably Reina, help me lay down and pull covers over my tired form, and that was it for me. My last thought before I fell asleep was about honey bees…

* * *

 **A/N: And this is what they call 'fast friends'. I** **'m not sure if this is paced a little too quickly. But, to be honest, this is a side project. I have an actual original story I've been working on for a little over a year, currently at around 170 pages long. I just...needed a break, I suppose. ^^;; Still, I do enjoy working on this, and I'm working hard as always.**

 **To my reviewers: thank you! I'll address you individually.**

 **nmigreenfield: Thank you! I'm glad you like my take. I tried to make it as original as I could. I hope that you continue to enjoy the direction I take this story in. Your support means a lot!**

 **jansails: I was really surprised to see a review from you, and it made me really happy to get some critique! I hope that I touched on those points to the best of my ability in this chapter. I'm still sorting all the details out, but I really do appreciate the reminder of such a big plot point I was missing, bahaha. Thank you very much for taking the time to help a young writer out. Your support means a lot!**

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 **-PatchyVoile**


	3. Chapter 3 - The End of Calm

_Bella's POV_

Reina, who I was very surprised could even pass for legal driving age, dropped me off at school the next morning in a burgundy colored BMW. I had to admit, it very much seemed like a car she would drive. She apparently took great pride in it, too, as it was customized to her liking, and immaculately clean.

She had lent me some clothes and let me use her bathroom to shower and get changed, but I was sort of embarrassed by them. She, much like Alice, was pretty fashion-conscious. After looking for something casual for nearly fifteen minutes, she hesitantly handed me a white, lacy romper with long sleeves and short pants. I didn't even remember the last time I had showed my legs willingly (that is to say, outside of gym class). It was probably in Arizona, where you had to wear shorts by the time summer came around unless you had a death wish. Thankfully, the one thing that did make me feel a little more human was shaving, and all of that extra stuff, so it wouldn't be the worst thing ever to wear this. I hoped...

 _"Sorry..."_ she'd said. _"This totally isn't your style at all, is it?"_

It most definitely was not. But, seeing as I was already almost late for school, I didn't have much of a choice. Shockingly, even though it looked far too extravagant for my tastes, and was probably more expensive than a good chunk of my wardrobe, it was pretty comfortable. That made me feel a little better about it.

Reina pulled into the school's driveway and unlocked the passenger door. Even though I hadn't liked... _his_ extravagant Volvo too much, not being terribly interested in cars, and freaking out when I thought about how much it must have cost, I almost saw the benefits of having a nice car when the threat of buying one for me wasn't consistently being shoved in my face. Still, I preferred practicality over all. If I somehow managed to make enough money, maybe I could get some things to work on my sweet old truck…Jake would help, even if he was mad at me right now. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with a car.

Reina laughed suddenly, shocking me out of my reverie. "You really must love those seat warmers. Believe me, I do, too. Feel free to catch a ride with me anytime. I love taking this baby out and driving people around. Have a good day, Bella."

I did love the seat warmers, since it was a rare _freezing_ cold day in Forks, but in all honesty I just didn't want to deal with school today. Though Angela and Ben were always good friends, even when I was anti-social and—frankly—a little unkind, everyone else was another story. Mike thought that this was his chance to get in my pants, even though he was 'dating' Jessica, if you could even call it that. And, of course, Lauren never missed a chance to make a passive aggressive (or just plain old aggressive) comment about me, and how weak I was for acting this way. I was still the most non-confrontational person I knew, so needless to say, she hadn't been put in her place. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Pull a MTV show move, and insinuate that was so bitchy because her father didn't love her? Tell on her like I was in Kindergarten? The best thing I could do was ignore her, but the comments still ate at me over time.

As I expected, my outfit garnered some unwanted attention from Mike. I was very glad that Ben wasn't an unfaithful horndog. Maybe there was hope for some of the men at Forks High yet.

The day passed uneventfully, for the most part. The only bit of excitement I got was Layla sending me a text message in Mr. Berty's class. It was a picture of a honey bee, with a threatening caption: _REMEMBER._

Needless to say, he decided not to read that one out loud.

With a bit of embarrassment, I remembered that I had no way to get home today, unless I walked. But, just as I started to take the walk of shame two miles back home and alone, the burgundy BMW pulled back up to the front of the school. I heard Lauren scoff behind me.

"Guess she found another rich family to mooch off until they leave her," she snickered. "Well, I guess we all have to have some kind of talent. That's definitely hers."

I sighed softly. I could feel my chest start to burn, but before I could wrap my arms around my middle and hold myself together, Reina opened the car door, and climbed out. Had she heard Lauren?

"Good afternoon, Bella," she chirped, and then looked at Lauren and Jessica behind me for a moment. "Are these your friends?"

Lauren's immediate disgust was almost palpable in the air around us. I couldn't even think of a response.

Reina shrugged. "Thought not. Figured you had better taste than that, anyway."

Before either of them could respond to that, Reina laughed loudly and pulled me into the car, taking off like a maniac. I had a lot of questions, but I had to revel a little in the fact that _someone_ had finally stood up to Lauren. Even if it was a little petty.

"That outfit suits you, really," Reina said eventually, slowly down the car to a normal pace and allowing me time to buckle myself in. "But I definitely understand the whole comfort thing...I think. I'll have to get some more sweatshirts and jeans in my collection. Couldn't hurt, right?"

I nodded, but I was already zoning out. I vaguely registered that Reina was pulling into the driveway at my place instead of the apartment.

The police cruiser was in the driveway...Charlie was home early?

"Oh," Reina mumbled. "That's awkward. Do you suppose he'll think it's weird that that a random girl dropped his daughter off in a BMW, or…?"

"Maybe he hasn't noticed yet?" I wondered aloud. Truthfully, I had no idea how Charlie would react to something like that. My real worry was if he had invited Billy and Jake over. Jake would definitely be able to smell a vampire from this distance, and he would freak out. I wasn't ready for Jacob to know about my new friends yet, and I doubted sincerely they were prepared to be know by the pack. I looked around nervously for Jacob's bike, but it was thankfully nowhere to be seen. However, we had sat in the car long enough to gather Charlie's attention. He hesitantly closed the screen door behind him and walked outside. Reina froze in place, clearly frightened and unsure of how to act. That made me afraid for her, too...and me.

She took a deep breath, and rolled down the window.

* * *

 _Reina's POV_

What do I do here...?

I'd worn out all my bravery for the day by attempting to confront the two girls who were harassing Bella. This was an entirely different story. My contacts were probably still good for another hour or two, making my eyes a diluted sea green instead of red. But I definitely had problems acting totally human from time to time. As far as I knew, Bella's father didn't know about vampires. I definitely did not need to change that by accident.

"Afternoon, Bells," Charlie began hesitantly. "Is this the friend you were staying with last night?"

Bella nodded quickly, and maybe a little too eagerly. "Yeah. Her name is Reina; she just moved here."

"Good afternoon, Chief Swan," I greeted, trying hard to sound polite. I made sure to blink, thankfully. "How are you?"

"Doing just fine," he answered casually. "It's nice to meet you. I think I heard about your family moving in to the apartment complex down the way. Casti...Casti..."

"Castiglione," I help him finish with a nervous smile. "We're Italian. _Ciao._ "

"You moved from Italy?" he raised an eyebrow. "Your English is, um, great."

I guess it was nice of him to think so, since I definitely still had an accent I couldn't, for the life of me, get rid of. I could throw a boulder three times my size over a hundred feet, but I couldn't get rid of my tiny, little girl voice and Italian accent...figures.

"I moved from California, but I lived in Italy before that," I said, trying carefully to spin my slight lies so that I could remember them later. "Bella and I met yesterday. We've really hit it off. She's my first new friend in Forks. I was worried I wouldn't like it, but Bella's made me change my mind on a lot of things around here."

"That's...I'm really glad to hear you're finally making new friends, Bells," Charlie said softly. "You can come inside if you'd like, Reina. I won't be too entertaining, but I'm sure Bella would like the company for a little while. I can order you girls pizza or something."

I contemplated it for a moment. I would have to make a quick escape if someone like her werewolf friend decided to come make his presence known, but it was probably a good idea to get to know her family some. I thanked him for his hospitality and climbed out of the car. Bella came out a little after me, giving me a strange look. She probably thought I would have taken off instead. Still, I had hunted and had nothing else to do with my afternoon.

And boy was that strange. Layla had refused angrily, saying she could handle some werewolves, and went into a couple of cities over to hunt. Colette had to come with her, to make sure she behaved herself, but I wanted to give Bella's suggestion a try. I had gone into the forest in search of animals to hunt instead. I found three deer, and two bears. That had surprisingly been at least a little satisfying. Definitely more so than I expected, even if nothing would ever beat human blood, and I was definitely going to mourn not having had any to drink as the night wore on. Then again, I was the same vampire who had spent almost two hundred years training myself to enjoy human things like hot tea, coffee, and cake, even if I did still have to throw them up later. But, it had worked how I intended, for the most part. The smell of hot tea made me very happy, as I supposed it might have in my human life.

Maybe Layla wasn't the strange one after all.

Bella led me up to her room, setting her backpack down on the floor and stretching loudly.

"Do you mind if I change into something more comfortable?" Bella asked shyly. "Thank you for letting me borrow this, but it's so out of my comfort zone."

"No problem," I smiled, putting my hands over my eyes. "Tell me when you're done.+"

Bella laughed a little. "I'll actually get changed in the bathroom. No need."

If I were human, I probably would have blushed. I nodded quickly, and Bella pulled a T-shirt and sweatpants out of one of her drawers before exiting the room and heading into her bathroom. She was back a moment later, looking far more comfortable. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail, which I had to admit looked really cute on her. I wanted one, too…

"Can you put my hair up like that?" I asked, fidgeting timidly. "I'm not too good with it. I don't usually do much with my hair but leave it down. And then Colette helps me with anything different..."

Bella blinked rapidly, seemingly surprised. "Er...sure, no problem. Come here."

I scooted over to her, turning around to my hair was facing her. In just a second, she had my hair in a similar style to hers. I ran my fingers through it appreciatively.

"Thank you, Bella."

"You're...you're welcome, Reina."

For the rest of the evening, I helped Bella with her Calculus homework and studying for an English test. She seemed so much lighter than she had when we met yesterday, that it almost seemed like she was becoming a new person. I even got a few laughs out of her as we struggled over math problems together. Math was never my strongest subject, even as much as Colette had tutored me in the past when I longed to learn. Still, we eventually got through it. Bella leaned back, letting out another Herculean yawn. Charlie eventually brought us in a small pizza, and coffee for me (once I quietly said some kind of a lie about being lactose intolerant).

"I think that's the first time I've got all my homework done in months," Bella commented as she swallowed a bite of pizza. "Thank you, by the way."

"I don't think either of us know what the hell a derivative is still," I laughed. "No problem. I hope we got the right answers, is all."

Bella shrugged. "It _looks_ right."

"What would you want to do after high school, ideally?" I asked. "If I looked old enough to pass for a college student, I think I would have been a nurse. I like helping people, but the blood might have been a problem."

Bella flinched a little, but hid it quickly. "I _did_ want to be a teacher, like my mom. Now, I just take things day by day. Or hour by hour, sometimes."

"What do you like to do?" I asked, hesitantly. It almost seemed like she didn't know who she was anymore. "You don't seem like the type to like kids. I mean, no offense if I'm wrong. Just an observation."

Bella made a face. "I'm neutral on them. I used to babysit back in Arizona, but I don't do it much here. You know, I used to like to write...how did I forget that? But my computer is so old now that I can't do much of anything with it. I like to read, too. I'll read anything pretty voraciously."

If I could help Bella rediscover a hobby, then she might start to feel even better. It could definitely help distract her from everything crazy going on in her life, so said Layla. Layla wrote all the time. Sometimes, it was plain old nonsense. But she still wrote. Every day.

"I could give you an old laptop of mine," I suggested. "I don't use it, promise. I got a better one now."

Bella blushed. "Oh, I couldn't take that. But I appreciate it, thanks."

I smiled a little. "Seriously, Bella, I don't use it. It's been sitting with the charger in a box in my closet. Besides, the end of your year senior is coming up soon. It'd be nice to have a better computer to take to college, right?"

Bella shifted back and forth. "I really do need one, but..."

"Consider it a gift for being my first friend in Forks," I winked. "Or I can just say I'm 'loaning' it to you, if it makes you feel better."

Bella stifled a small laugh. "It might, actually...I'm all about words and association."

 _"_ _Bells?"_ Charlie called from downstairs. We both turned our attention to the door. _"I invited Billy and Jake over to see the game tonight. Does Reina want to come downstairs and watch, too?"_

Bella and I glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"You have to go..."

"Yes."

"How am I going to cover up your scent?"

"I really don't know. Maybe grab a shower and get it off of you, at least. It's not like Jacob's your boyfriend, maybe he'll stay out of your room."

Bella sighed. "I wish you didn't have to go."

I smiled nervously. "Me either. But I'll come take you to school tomorrow, too, if you'd like. Goodnight, Bella...you know my number if you need anything."

With that, I had to leave. I hated leaving her with that mangy wolf, but I had to. I wasn't ready to present myself to this 'pack'. I caught my reflection in Charlie's TV as I walked downstairs to say goodbye, and lowered my eyes in shock. They were _orange._ The animal blood was already starting to take some effect? That was pretty amazing. As I ran home, I really hoped that Bella could find a way to cover up my scent. What if he went off, turned into a wolf, and attacked her? I couldn't live with that kind of guilt. It was one thing to hurt and kill a human I did not have an emotional connection with, and that was more often than not a morally reprehensible person, but if I caused Bella to be attacked by that little stinky wolf…

I sighed. It was going to be a long night. As I ran, the wind and light rain whipping through my hair, I could see a full moon shining brightly above me. There weren't a lot of big, overly lit buildings here, so I could see some stars, too. That was definitely a big change from California. I couldn't see anything there but intense amounts of fog and unnatural, blinding lights. This was so much better. I took a deep breath of the much cleaner air, releasing it and watching it turn icy as it escaped my mouth. It was really getting cold.

I finally made it up to the apartment at a little after nine. Colette was sitting on the couch, watching re-runs of _The Bachelor_. Layla was laying on her belly on the floor below her, flipping through her binder of stamps and coins. They both looked at me as I walked in. My sister greeted me with a toothy smile, jumping up to pull me into a hug.

"What's the occasion? Am I dying?" I wondered aloud, patting her on the back gently. "Good evening to you too, sister."

"She misses you when you're out all evening," Colette reprimanded me gently. "And so do I. Were you with Bella?"

I nodded. "Sorry. I was spending the evening with her and her father. But I had to leave when he was going to invite that werewolf boy and his father over...if he catches my scent, Bella is going to be in big trouble."

Colette sighed. "I thought about that all day. I've been thinking deeply about everything, and we do need to work things out with that group if we intend to stay here for long. Dear...how did hunting go? Your eyes are a strange color. Is that normal, you think?"

"I should think," I replied cheerily, running my hands over my face and blinking. "Bella told me yesterday that those who stay on the animal diet for a long time end up with gold eyes. Isn't that fascinating?"

"Layla and I will come with you next time," Colette assured me, and Layla made a face. "You know how it is with her...but I think we all need to make this change. God help us, I would like to at least have a chance at Heaven one day, if it is out there. I can't keep this lifestyle up."

"We'll probably never die anyway," Layla chirped, returning to her book. "More stamps for me...I wonder if there will ever come a day that they won't be used?"

Layla would always just be her wonderful self, completely lacking the fear of death. I smiled, laying down next to her and turning to my favorite page. She had a stamp there from Italy with the Leaning Tower of Pisa on it that I really liked. Sometimes, when Layla was gone, I would look at it for hours. I didn't know what enthralled me about it, but I often imagined myself looking up at it. It was a nice thought.

* * *

Bella's POV

I was on edge from the minute Jacob walked through the door.

At first, everything seemed to be going okay. We sat on the couch, Charlie pulled out the leftover pizza, and we ate and watched the baseball game on. However, the longer Jacob was there, I could tell he was starting to become tense, as well. He took glances upstairs several times. Did he know? I had showered, but that was not enough, apparently. What was I going to do to protect them from his wrath? Or him from their wrath? I ran my fingers across my opposite arm nervously, which Jacob noticed immediately.

"Hey, Bells?" he asked, his voice slightly tense. "Can I talk to you upstairs for just a second? We'll come right back down."

I nodded slowly, defeated. I followed Jacob upstairs, and right into my room. Immediately, he made a noise that almost sounded like a snarl. I jumped back, my blood running cold.

"That is _not_ the red head's scent, and it's not the Cullen assholes' scents, either," he growled. "Is that what that whole weird conversation was about yesterday, Bella? Do you somehow manage to invite more bloodsuckers into Forks?"

"They're my friends!" I sputtered out weakly. Dammit. If I had any chance of getting them out of this before, it was gone now.

He turned his head away in an almost inhuman fashion. I started to shake, and I could feel tears threatening to form at the corners of my eyes. "Friends? Like the same friends who up and left you in the middle of the forest for _DEAD_? You do realize I have to report this to Sam. If they kill on this land, we have no choice but to end their lives. Don't think I don't know how. I know everything about those nasty, blood sucking..."

"Fine!" I snapped, cursing him to hell for opening the hole in my chest up until it felt like a black hole, sucking up every good memory from today. "Report it to your _cult leader_! I'll just leave Forks; we all will!"

It was, of course, an empty threat. But I was tired of the needless feuding. Even if I promsied him that they wouldn't kill in Forks, even if I told him how hard they tried to kill immoral beings, and even if I told them how they didn't want this life thrust upon them like it was, it would make no difference. He didn't care. He hated so blindly that it hurt. He would hate me, too, when I was changed.

"Are you kidding me, Bella?" he spat. "I was there to pick up the pieces when that bloodsucker left you, and this is how you treat me?"

"Yes. Because this is how you treat me," I came right back. "What if Victoria changed me instead of killing me by accident? Huh? Would you still hate me, would you still try to kill me? Tell me, _best friend_."

My scathing tone made him shake, and I backed up even further. The door handle hit me in the back, and I groaned.

"Bella, that's not fair..."

"Think about it, Jacob. Because it could very well happen."

With that, Jacob pushed me aside, opened my door, and stomped downstairs. I could hear him talking to Billy for a moment, him and Charlie going back and forth, and then the front door slam. I flinched. I hadn't wanted to talk to Jacob like that, but what choice did he leave me? He could never just open his mind and little, and he never would. Before Charlie could come confront me about what had just happened, I crawled into bed and forced my eyes shut.

Even though I knew tonight would be back to the sleepless nights I'd been having since he left me.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's that. Reina and Bella are getting closer, and it put a wedge in between Jacob and Bella. And now he's off to tell Sam about the Castigliones…**

 **oooo.**

 **To my reviewers: thank you again. I have no idea why your reviews aren't showing up on the site, but** **I still get them in my e-mail, so please keep sending them over! As always, I appreciate your support!**

 **-PatchyVoile**


	4. Chapter 4 - Treaty and Strange Feelings

_Layla's POV_

On the balcony of the fourth floor in a small town apartment, I started to wonder if I was really enjoying myself here.

Part of me (or a lot of me) missed the large, California house I'd lived in for over a year. It was slightly secluded, so during the day time, I would open up the window and let the sun shine over my skin. It was a ridiculously whimsical thing to do, but I didn't always want to be cold.

As the sun started to rise, I moved back inside, and into my room. Though the curtains were drawn back, no sun would come through. It was another cloudy day. Boring. I desired far too strongly to stir up a little bit of trouble when I got bored, so this needed to be remedied, and fast.

I caught my reflection in my vanity as I walked past, and frowned. I usually looked a lot like my sister, Reina. Sometimes I thought we were twins, and just didn't remember that little fact from our human life. But right now, she was looking a little different. Her eyes, usually the same deep red that mine were, were now a strange orange color.

I was irritated with the change in lifestyle she and my mother were trying to force upon me. I was a vampire. I needed human blood, and that's just how it had to be. It wasn't like I was killing children and the feeble. I tried to kill those who were too evil to belong here anyway. It was, at least, a valiant effort. I tried to live as humanly as I could, and I did enjoy some parts of it.

Still unsure of what to do, and still feeling cold and strange, I decided to perform a rarity. I started up a warm shower, and climbed in. The hot water felt amazing against my cool skin. What was wrong with me? It's not like I missed being human, did I?

Irritated with my own, confusing state, I turned off the shower and climbed out. I dried my hair with uncharacteristic slowness, and then moved back into my room to get dressed. I rummaged through my messy closet, putting on a beautiful, wine colored dress with an A-line skirt that touched my knees, and a pair of similarly colored flats.

Just as I finished putting in a pair of earrings, my sister came in the room, already dressed as well. Maybe we could find something to do together.

"Good morning, sister," Reina said. "I heard the shower running. That's new for you. Do you feel all right?"

"I don't know," I grouched. "I keep...desiring something that I can't have. And what a terrible feeling it is to put up with."

Reina's expression switched from amusement to concern. "What might that be?"

I fidgeted irritably. "It's nothing. I'm so annoyed; I don't feel like myself today."

Reina sighed. "I'm not feeling like myself, either. I'm also worried about what that pack of werewolves intends to do about us. Bella told me just a little while ago that Jacob found my scent last night and got very angry with her. She said he intends to report it to his leader, so we'll probably be hearing from them very soon."

I scowled. Even though the rational part of me (it was a small part of me, in my defense), knew that the werewolves would probably have persecuted us for hunting near them anyway, and Bella had potentially saved us, the irrational part of me was irritated with her for even being in our lives and bringing these mangy creatures upon us. I didn't want to switch to an animal blood diet, and I did not want to be tied to a treaty with those fools until we moved away from Forks. But did I have a choice anymore? Our lease wasn't up for a year, and I really didn't want to pack up and move on again, less than a week after we got here. My mother was still eagerly looking for work at a law firm, thinking that she could reason with the unreasonable and the wolves wouldn't bother us anymore.

Reina bit her lip. "We're meeting with them at a 'boundary line' near their reservation when Mother comes home. What do you think?"

"I think I hate everything about this," I spat. "You can't reason with them. We've run into creatures like that before."

Almost one hundred years ago, when we lived in Minnesota, we'd run into another pack of wolves descending from a Native American tribe. They wanted us out, and they wanted us out right then and there. We were vastly outnumbered, probably thirty to our measly three, so we had no choice but to pack our things and run away with our tails tucked between our legs. I was still sore over that, and I probably always would be. Why did I have to be a menace to society because of something I couldn't control? I didn't want my brother and father to go off to war and die, and I definitely didn't ask my mother to turn me into a vampire.

But I did enjoy being immortal. I wanted everyone else to let me enjoy it, too. Who cares if I had to drink blood? I'd seen what werewolves could do too, especially when they were angry. They would kill their own. Even if it was accidental, they had no room to talk when their tempers were ridiculous, juvenile...and cost those they loved their faces, or their lives in some cases.

Still, there was nothing I could do but be complacent in this situation. I couldn't run away, and we were probably once again outnumbered. So, when my mother came down less than fifteen minutes later, it was into the car and down to the Native American reservation. I was fuming the whole time, and Reina—bless her soul—was trying to calm me down. That wasn't easy to do on the rare chance I did get riled up, or so I had been told. Just as Reina had said, they were waiting at an invisible boundary line of sorts. There were several of them, all probably standing a foot over my meager height, all with hair cropped short or spiky, all tanned, and almost all of them were shirtless for whatever silly reason.

"Gentlemen," my mother greeted, her tone extremely strained. "You should know that I don't desire to hurt any of you, nor do I think it'd be fair of you to provoke us, when we're a little outnumbered here."

The one to the right of the apparent leader, who stood dutifully in the center of the pack, scoffed loudly. "What kind of fuckin' holier than thou attitude..."

"Easy, Paul," the leader commanded sternly. "We don't want to start something right now, either. Have you already... _hunted_ in our area?"

My mother sighed. "No. Close, though, in Port Angeles. We weren't aware that you were here until Isabella Swan informed us. We would have respected your rules as longtime residents had we known earlier."

Of course, that was a slight lie. Mother did not want to mention that she thought if she went a little out of town that they would ignore it. Perhaps it was because she noticed how incredibly hostile they were towards us. She was using her words carefully, as she probably should.

The ability I had brought over from my human life, that was transformed into a much stronger, vampiric ability, was my ability to tell when a person was lying. I could be extraordinarily helpful in situations such as these, if I could control my temper. That was, unfortunately, a rarity. I was already in some kind of staring contest with this 'Paul' boy, and he definitely was the least fond of me out of the three of us. I shot him a mischievous, toothy grin. I could feel Reina smack me on the arm, a little hard, which made quite a few of them give my sister a curious look. Had they not noticed her before, really?

As far as I knew, my sister didn't have the ability to become invisible. My mother and I often speculated what it was that Reina brought over from her human life, and had determined that it was more than likely extraordinary adaptability. She'd been able to adapt to everything she chose to so far in her five hundred years, including this strange animal diet, impeccably well. I was almost envious of the ability, but I was glad that it, at least, made things easier on her.

The leader huffed. "Well, we don't appreciate that, just so you know. Bella has probably told you about the little treaty we had with the coven that used to live in this area. If you were thinking we'll extend just the same the same to you, you're mistaken. If you want any kind of a treaty with us, you have a lot to change."

"And what might that be?" my mother asked, although she knew as well as I did. I scowled. I would rather just move away again and be done with it.

"I think we've all come to an agreement that your... _diet_ needs to change," he answered. "And I mean completely. If I hear of any of you slipping up, we will not hesitate to destroy the treaty and declare war on you."

"On all three of them," Paul snorted. "We might as well get it out of the way now and end their miserable existences."

My mother growled. "Watch it, you mangy brat."

"Settle down," the leader commanded yet again. "Paul..."

"Sam, why the hell are we being civil with our mortal enemies?" he snarled. "Fuck that."

"Because you're under _my_ command," he spoke thunderously, immediately silencing Paul and the chatter around them, though Paul still shook angrily. I smirked, which probably only irritated them further. "Names, all of you."

"I'm Colette," my mother answered crankily. "These are my daughters, Layla and Reina."

"I'm Sam," the leader spoke, just as tense. "These are the other pack members. That's Paul, this is Embry, that's Jared, Jacob, and I suspect that we'll be joined by several others soon. The Quileute tribe seems to be transforming at an alarming rate."

"Nice to meet you all." my sister chirped. What in the world was the good mood for?

Once again, she got odd looks, but they were warranted this time. Paul looked downright horrified, almost. Oh, sister. Just accept that not everyone will like you, please. Especially when it comes to mortal enemies.

"And another thing," Sam continued. "For whatever reason, probably due to the fact that the Cullens kept a lot of a vampire's true nature from her, I'm aware Bella has expressed interest in becoming a vampire to you. You are not, under any circumstances, allowed to change her. Bella is trusted friend to the pack, and we would hate to see her become a blood thirsty monster thanks to wishing for something she doesn't even understand. We'd have to kill her, too."

Jacob recoiled like Sam had popped him in the mouth. It figured that one of those brats would have feelings for the human girl.

"I understand," my mother nodded firmly. "We must change our diet, and we must not change the human. Then we can co-exist peacefully?"

"Something like that," Sam mumbled. "You are not allowed to cross this boundary into Quileute land no matter what. We want nothing to do with you, we do not like you, and we do not agree with your lifestyle. It's better that we agree to disagree on these things, and you go about your way and follow these laws."

"Understood," my mother snapped. "Then it's settled and agreed upon? May we leave?"

"You may." Sam conceded airily, slowly walking away as his pack followed. The angry Paul was the slowest of them all to turn around and leave. And he no longer looked angry, either. From the moment Reina had greeted them all with such kindness, they all looked a little funny, Paul the most so. Just before he turned around completely, he almost looked ready to puke. Goodness, was my sister's kindness truly that repulsive? That was almost funny.

We climbed back in my mother's blue Sedan quietly, unsure of what to say after all that. I curled up into my myself, pushing my hair in front of my face. I was frustrated. What if I couldn't manage this animal blood diet? Sam said no slip ups. He was being incredibly harsh. He would never be able to fathom how difficult it was to restrain myself every day. Some leader he was.

"They're kinda cute," Reina sighed dreamily. "Especially the really angry one, sorry Layla. I don't know what it is, but I've always liked guys who could match me in strength, and intelligence. I mean, I feel like he's intelligent, when you get past the whole 'Macho Man' thing. I also like that he's over a foot taller than me."

"He also probably wishes you were dead."

I could barely see her, but I knew I had probably hurt Reina's feelings with my blunt statement. The rest of the ride was quiet, and I blamed myself for that. But I couldn't hold back, when she didn't seem to understand the pain I was going through. Even though switching diets wasn't going to be terribly hard for her, she had to know that it would be for me. Perhaps she just wanted me to suck it up. We never saw eye-to-eye on these types of things, and that would probably never change. Sometimes, I wanted to go out on my own, for good. Even though I loved Reina, and had formed an unbreakable bond with Colette, who may as well have given birth to me for as poorly as I remembered my scathingly passive aggressive birth mother. For that was all I remembered of her. I only knew how much I despised her, and she in turn. I had been her least favorite child, not older and prettier like Reina—good for marriage purposes—and not my brother, who had been her life and soul. I was expected to be a boy until the moment I was born.

Not a lot of people can claim that they were a disappointment from the moment they entered the world, naked and terrified, but I can.

I hadn't noticed how far I'd secluded myself in the small car until I felt Reina move closer and place a hand on my shoulder. It felt...warm. In an instant, my worries began to melt into a puddle at my feet and fade away.

"I'm proud of you, you know," she said. "Immensely so. I know this isn't easy for you, but thank you for staying by my side."

"I try." I mumbled gruffly, uncomfortable with the emotion she was exuding. I felt like, if I were the human, I'd be red in the cheeks.

"You know," Reina began sweetly, leaning on me. I rolled my eyes; she was trying to butter me up. "I have some very interesting questions about the declining honey bee population..."

"Reina, you know better than to lie to _me._ " I tutted, though I still got a twinge of excitement as I remembered the new facts I'd learned. It was promising!

Reina winked. "You can tell me anyway. I deserve the torment."

* * *

 _Reina's POV_

I thought I'd been feeling very strange before we went to see the wolves, but now I felt even worse. I couldn't get that boy out of my head, even if he had been insulting and downright ruthless. I found him interesting. I wanted to poke around in his head.

Unable to stay still much longer, I invited Bella to go out on the town with me. She accepted happily, needing a break from studying, and we were soon on the road, searching for something to occupy our minds and time. I wondered if I should tell her how things went today. I needed to get it off my chest to someone besides my poor sister, who clearly had other things to worry about besides my sudden interest in a mortal enemy. As I drove near the downtown area, Bella finally gave me a concerned look.

"Did everything go okay with Jake today?" she asked quietly, even though it seemed like it hurt her to ask.

"I suppose, since we're not dead," I sighed. "But it just went horrible other than that. They're being really hard on us. My family has to change their diet immediately, no slips up, or we all die. And then, when I tried to be kind...the angry boy, Paul, gave me a really funny look. My sister said he looked close to puking before he left. And I haven't been feeling the same since. I keep thinking about him. Not so much in a romantic way, though he is kind of cute, but I'm worrying about him, and I don't know why. He was so mean to my family, and if anyone else had done that, I'd want to break their neck. I don't understand these feelings, Bella."

Bella looked to be thinking hard for a moment. "I didn't understand my feelings for _him_ for a long time. He was mean to me when we met, and I didn't understand why at the time. I just thought he was an asshole, or I smelled really bad that day. Sometimes, it's just...you know, I was going to say meant to be."

I frowned. "I'm sorry, Bella."

She shook her head. "I...don't worry about it."

We stopped at a coffee shop after grabbing a couple of books from a Barnes and Noble in Port Angeles. Bella couldn't help but laugh at how dazzled I was by the menu of desserts, teas, and coffee. After ordering, and after I insisted that I pay (to Bella's dismay), we sat down at a table in the back corner.

"I have a gift for you," I sang happily, reaching into my bag. Bella tried to hide her grimace. Did she always hate gifts this much. I loved gifts. Especially since I remembered my human birthday, March sixteenth. And of course, I loved Christmas with an extraordinary passion only seen in children half my (human) age and younger. Christmas in California had been boring, with no snow to speak of. Maybe it would be different in Forks?

"I...I'll pay you back, Reina," Bella said, in almost a pleading tone. "Thank you, so much."

"No worries," I said smoothly, winking. "Only a 'loan'."

She laughed quietly. "Is it okay if I try it out, while we're here?"

"No problem," I replied, taking another sip of my coffee. "Have at it."

Bella shook her head, seemingly amazed as she gazed at me. "How and why do you do that? Ed- _he_ would never eat or drink human food. Said it smelled and tasted gross, and he would puke it up later. He had to do it a couple of times when Charlie ordered pizza."

"It's something I've trained myself to do over hundreds of years," I replied. "And I do have to puke it up later. The only working part of my digestive system left is my throat and esophagus. I just like to be stubborn."

"But why?" Bella asked again, but then looked embarrassed. "Sorry. You don't have to answer that. It's just something I keep thinking about when it comes to me being like you one day."

I smiled, though I'm sure it reflected my inner turmoil. "We hold on to even the thinnest filaments connected to our human lives. We always will. It's just that I like to hold on to even more of it. The ability I was given in this life was the ability to be extremely adaptible. New diets, new lifestyles, anything and everything, my body and mind have adapted to them quickly and efficiently. I doubt I would have been able to eat human food again had this not been true."

Bella sighed. "We could get the best of both worlds if we could trade, er, species. You would be the human, and I would be the vampire."

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "Maybe that's why we were drawn to each other like we were. We want each other's lives."

Bella laughed, too. "Maybe one day we can get close, if we work at it. Besides, I do like parts of my human life. Like Charlie, and my mom..."

"I like Charlie," I admitted. "He exudes a certain sensitivity and kindness that I don't see in most men."

"You think so?" Bella wondered. "I've always thought that about him, too. I like my stepdad, too, but Charlie and I have always been on the same wavelength."

I smiled. "Tell me about your mom and stepdad. No offense, but I sort of assumed you didn't have a mom around. It made me sort of sad for you."

"Charlie and my mom got married right out of high school, had me, and then my mom divorced him and took me with her," she sighed as she neared the end of her statement. "She's kind of the childish type. She's really sweet and genuine, but she's so excitable and wild. She tried to convince me to get a matching tattoo with her the week before my eighteenth birthday. She's...something else. She met my stepdad, Phil, a few years ago. He got a baseball contract, and I just decided I wanted her to live her life with him, and maybe eventually they'd have more kids or something. So I went to Forks to live with my dad. I don't know if I regret that or not now. Part of me wishes I never met _him,_ and part of me wonders how different I would be without that experience. It was wonderful while it lasted."

My expression, I hoped, did not seem as concerned as I felt. "Why the display of selflessness? Did you not like living with them anymore?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I loved living with them. But I'd spent summers with Charlie, and I saw him get older and lonelier, I just felt like I needed to be there for him. But sometimes, I miss the warmth of Arizona."

"I'll have to take you to California sometime," I grinned. "I'll have to walk around with a parasol and get some weird looks, but if you don't mind that then we can have a great time. I used to spend cloudy days at the beaches with Layla. Mother hates sand, so she never came with us. Do you like the beach?"

Bella nodded. "I go to the beach here with Jacob all the time. Although he probably never wants to see me again. I have terrible luck with men, I guess."

"I wouldn't say that," I frowned. "He looked like a poor little punished puppy when Sam talked about what would happen if we turned you into a vampire, so I'd speculate that he still has feelings for you."

"I...guess that makes me feel better?"

Bella, though she was reluctant to mess with it at first, seemed to be enjoying my gift to her. Of course, I wouldn't tell her that it was not at all my old laptop, and I had bought a new one for her earlier this morning with much higher specs and all that I thought she'd like.

I couldn't help it. It was nice to see her smile. Though I hadn't known her long, I knew that smile was something that had been lost for a while.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to produce. I've been extremely fatigued and sick lately. ^^;; You'd think it'd make for more time to sit down and write, but no, actually...it was the kind of fatigue where my parents probably didn't see me for two days straight because I was confined to bed.**

 **Anyway, yeah. I hope that this chapter is well received. Reviews are finally showing up again! What a mess that they were gone for so long. I wasn't the only one, so it should have been fixed sooner, but oh well.**

 **Thank you to my reviewers! I appreciate your feedback/critique/praise and strive to please you all in the days to come with this story. Thank you too to those who have followed and favorited.**

 **-PatchyVoile, still tired**


	5. Chapter 5 - A First Time For Everything

_Reina's POV_

* * *

I, five hundred year old Reina Castiglione, have a very tacky, embarrassing taste for pop music from the late 90s. As in, the 1990s.

Until today, this was something that only my sister and my mother knew (and abhorred). However, today, Bella found this unfortunate fact out as we lazily lounged around my room on a Saturday morning, not long after I forced her to take a brand new laptop. Admittedly, it was a little selfish on my part, since she clearly did not like gifts for whatever reason. Still, under the guise of it being a hand-me-down, she seemed to be enjoying it a lot. Yesterday, she had called me just as I was about to head out and hunt, only to tell me that she had got her AP Literature homework done in less than an hour 'because of this beautiful piece of metal'.

She made me laugh. Silly human.

It was only by accident that she found my music. Unsure of where to keep my CDs and Vinyls after the move, they were haphazardly sitting in a clear bin beside my bed. Add that, and a curious Bella, and you suddenly find your taste for old-school Avril Lavigne being heavily questioned.

She dug into the bin again, laughing quietly at my clear displeasure. "Okay, here's a decent one. I liked TLC."

I snorted. "Well, there's something. What music, exactly, do you like? The top forty? Debussy?"

Bella shifted a little, suddenly appearing slightly uncomfortable. "God, would you be weirded out if I said I don't remember?"

I sighed. This again. Was she ever going to be able to get over that asshole ex-boyfriend of hers?

"So, you're telling me—in a sort of roundabout way—that he also robbed you of your ability to enjoy music, one of life's few joys?" I couldn't help how scathing it sounded. She cringed, wrapping her arm around her middle, right under her chest. She did that often, and I had come to realize recently that it was only when Edward was brought up, or she was thinking about him. I bit my lip, regretting being so mouthy when it came to him. I needed to be more sensitive, even if I did not yet understand love that way. I probably never would. I was undesirable in that way. It didn't bother me so much, probably. The ability to discern my own perception of my many shortcomings was something I did not possess. Bella, however, was beautiful. It was clear to me that many boys at her school fawned after her, which explained the incident with 'Lauren' and 'Jessica', although I preferred to refer to them as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, interchangeably. She could look for anyone out there, and at any time. Why was she so set on this Edward boy? All teenage boys seemed the same to me. They were rather gross, preoccupied with growing sexual thoughts and the inability to keep them to themselves, and not very intellectually stimulating to talk to most of the time.

Then again, the last teenage boy I had talked to…when was that, again?

Oh, yeah. I cringed, remembering my altercation with the reservation boys not long ago. I'd mostly been able to banish that _Paul_ boy from my head, but his image kept coming back to me in the darkest hours of the night, when I was the most vulnerable.

Bella, in an attempt to distract herself, and perhaps prove a point to me, stuck one of my CDs in my CD player pretty quickly for a human.

 _Sometimes I get so weird, I even freak myself out…_

Really? She was going to play Avril Lavigne when she'd just been picking on me about it? I glared at her, and she smiled sheepishly.

"I thought I'd give it a chance..."

"Uh-huh."

Bella made a few interesting faces as she listened to the song playing gently over the speakers. It was, unfortunately for her, one I'd always been fond of, so my loud and probably obnoxious singing, along with some dramatic dance moms, commenced shortly after.

" _SOMEBODY RIP MY HEART OUT, AND LEAVE ME HERE TO BLEED!"_

Bella looked appropriately horrified for a moment, but then—to my surprise—she began laughing, harder than I'd ever seen her laugh before.

"I can't believe you listen to this stuff!"

I grinned, wrapping one arm around her shoulders a little roughly and continuing the song... and my dramatics. She shrieked with laughter as I pulled her a little closer to me and began dancing exuberantly.

"I-I can't dance! Hey, quit it!"

I giggled. "I could have played _No Scrubs_ for a certain someone you know..."

Damn it. Crap. I'm an idiot…

I gauged her expression carefully, trying to wipe the horror off of my own face on the off chance she was actually _not_ deeply offended by my mouth.

And slowly, but surely, she...smiled a little? My vampire senses were acute, certainly, but did I really just see that?

"You're a dork, Reina," she sighed eventually, flipping off the music. "And I'm really bored, although I hate to admit that when I could be doing more homework. I've gotten so behind since _he_ left. I used to never get behind in school."

"I'm a little bored, as well," I said, retreating back to my bed and leaning against the headboard. "I'm surprised Layla hasn't come up here to bother us yet. I would have thought the singing would be the last straw."

As if on cue, Layla burst through the door.

"Did someone say bored? Because I am bored, and a bored Layla is a homicidal Layla."

Bella flinched, and I rolled my eyes.

"Could you stop scaring the human?" I sighed. "It's rude, in case you hadn't notice."

Layla flashed the both of us a toothy grin. "But I trust Bella with knowing my true nature, so is it really rude?"

"Well, she will be a part of our family one day," I reminded her. "She'd find out sooner or later that you are a four-foot-ten genuine psycho."

"Well, tell me how you really feel, sister. Also, I'm four-foot-eleven, thank you." Layla mumbled.

Bella smiled awkwardly at the exchange.

"Does anyone want to go to Port Angeles?" Layla asked, surprisingly polite. "I want to go shopping."

"I'm down," I replied cheerily. "What about you, Bels?"

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Depends, I guess. How long do you guys spend clothes shopping?"

"Never too long," I responded, though I was curious as to why she asked. "Why?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it and settled on shrugging. We left shortly after, climbing into my BMW despite Bella's protests. She wanted to drive her truck there, but then we probably wouldn't make it to the mall until sunset, at the earliest. As we pulled in, I noticed Bella gawking at the new book store that had just opened right outside of the mall. Layla was already far ahead of us, looking for clothes most likely, but I decided to stop into this store first, if it would make Bella happy.

Besides, I could probably get a coffee. Apparently, it was just as addictive to me as it was for any human.

"Do you think they have the classics back here?" Bella wondered aloud, pointing toward the very back of the store, past the coffee shop. "I think I want to try reading some Anne Rice."

I blinked rapidly. "As in, the vampire author?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Wanted to make some Lestat and Layla comparisons, what can I say."

I thought for a moment. "Well, they're both brats."

Bella laughed a little. "Do you think she knows real vampires?"

I sighed. "Bella, you're the only human I know who has encountered one of us and lived long enough to tell the tale."

"Fair enough." she murmured, turning her head towards the books.

At that point we separated, and I bought a coffee. I sat down where I could still see Bella, but I was far too bored with the classics at this point in my life to even feign interest. Some of them held a special place in my heart, and _The Vampire Chronicles_ were certainly high on my list, but I was just…

...bored of everything, lately.

I laid my head in my crossed arms after I finished my coffee, and allowed my mind to wander. Of course, that boy immediately popped into my head. I tapped my foot against the linoleum flooring below, unwillingly concerned for his well-being. He'd looked so sick before we left, like he was ready to puke. Would Bella mind terribly if I asked her to get the Jacob boy to check on him?

I would find out now. She was apparently done purchasing the book she wanted, and she joined me at the small table.

"Reina?" she asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

I lifted my head slowly to meet her eyes. "I just still can't get that boy off my mind. It's really freaking me out."

"Paul?" Bella wondered. "I haven't heard from Jacob about how he is, but I guess I never thought to even ask about him. He's never exactly been keen on me."

I bit my lip. Damn.

Bella smiled slightly. "Someone's got a crush, huh?"

 _NO!_

She leaned back, probably a little scared by the look of horror on my face.

"I just think he's interesting, I guess," I attempted to explain myself. "I want to know more about him, but he would never let me, would he? He hates us more than any of the rest of the wolves do."

I couldn't explain the feeling that grabbed me by the throat then, but it really, really hurt.

"You never know," Bella sighed. "They've all grown to like me, at least a little, and I was 'the bloodsucker dater' for the longest time. If love is meant to be, it will be...I...think."

"Like I said, not in love." I grouched, even though now I wasn't so sure. Could I really have feelings like _that_ for my mortal enemy? It would not make sense by any account. In all of the legends the tribes had told, there was no record of a 'cold one' and a 'shape shifter' falling in love as far as I knew. It would never be able to work out, and I needed to get that boy out of my head as fast as possible.

Curious, and itching to clear my head, I decided to find Layla—wherever she had gone. Mother probably would not like that I had left her alone, especially since she was so new to this 'vegetarian' diet, and not taking it very well.

Bella and I found her in a Kohls store, where she looked terribly bored. She did, however, have a few bags from other stores. Of course, a souvenir store was among the list. I could hear the key-chains clinking as she walked among the clothes, scouring for a good deal. As rich as we were, Layla bargain shopped like it was her career. I didn't go out of my way to spend a ton of money, sure, but it still seemed a little ridiculous.

Mother had got the job she wanted at the law firm in Seattle. Her credentials over the past ten years (she was posing as someone thirty two who graduated law school early, though that was really pushing it) were absolutely outstanding, and they hired her with only one interview and a call to one of her former employers in California. I was happy for her, and she was very grateful to Bella for introducing her to the new diet. She was struggling a little, but Bella continued to encourage her. She was so kind; if I ever found Edward his cahones were toast. I could not image ever treating the woman in front of me like that. She was my best friend now.

"Yo," Layla greeted us casually when she noticed we had found her. "I picked you up a couple of the shirts you wanted, Reina. Then I kind of went crazy in the souvenir store, aaaand..."

She reached into the bag, and pulled out a small, stuffed bear.

"This is for you, Bella," she stated plainly. "The one on your bed looks horrible. You should sleep with this one until Mother can fix your old one up. He looks like he needs a friend, anyway, don't you think?"

"O-Oh!" Bella gasped in surprise. "I can't take this. You shouldn't have spent money on me."

Layla rolled her eyes, but gave Bella her signature toothy grin anyway. "Well, I already did, so now you have to take it."

Bella shook her head softly as she took the bear. "You guys are going to MAKE me get used to gifts, aren't you?"

Layla and I nodded simultaneously, and Bella just sighed.

* * *

 _Paul's POV_

It had been one week.

It had been one week since that small 'family' of bloodsuckers came to us trying to make _peace—_ ha _—_ and…

It had been one week since I fucking _imprinted_ on one of them. It had been one week since my self-imposed isolation in my room began...and one week since I decided I was really, and truly, insane. The entire concept of the imprint was ludicrous, but this had to take the cake amongst the pack. Sam had tried to keep me calm, tried to help me understand that the imprint was so powerful and unquestioned that they would allow _Reina_ to be around me, so long as she understood how to respect the rest of the pack's need for distance from her and treated the other, human imprintees...kindly. As in, didn't drink every ounce of blood out of them before they could say hello.

This was a joke. It was all a joke; it had to be.

Unfortunately for me, and every one who happened to come in contact with me this past week, it was not. It was no coincidence that every time I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifted to her. Her eyes weren't red, as I figured they would be. They were the sweetest shade of orange, almost like the sunsets on First Beach, when you could see them…

 _FUCK._

She was awful. I could not love her; I would rather die.

She was just a fucking temptress, just like every female of her kind. Even her name was beautiful, and what a queen she was. That day, that stupid day I met her, she looked absolutely breathtaking. She had been wearing a blue dress that showed off her curves, though she did not have many. She was a little on the thinner side, and pretty short as well, but she was adorable. Her long, black hair framed her dainty face, and…

 _FUUUUCK._

At that moment, my door opened. I turned around with a low growl, knowing very well I had told _everyone_ to leave me alone right now.

But it was Sam. I could not exactly tell him to get the hell away from me without severe repercussions.

"What, Sam?" I snapped.

"Easy, Paul," Sam began softly, though it was definitely a warning that I needed to heed. "Why are you torturing yourself like this? This is obviously something completely unprecedented, rare to say the least, but most of the pack has extended their blessing to you to move forward with Reina. You can't run away from an imprint, man. Don't you think I tried that when I was already in a committed relationship? I couldn't run from Emily, no matter what, and I still can't. She's my whole world, and Reina is your whole world, too."

" _SHE IS NOT_!" I snarled.

Sam gave me another warning look, and I piped down, though I was starting to shake.

"Fine, let's say this whole mess is _meant to be_ ," I huffed. "How would she ever feel the same way about me?"

"The imprint goes both ways," Paul reminded me. "More than likely, unless there is something about a vampire that prevents it...I would say she's having a pretty hard week, herself."

I hated that the thought of that concerned me.

"Listen," he began hesitantly. "Jacob and Bella have been spending a lot of time together. They're together right now, in his garage. Why don't you try asking Reina to go out with you? The four of you can do something together. You'll have another of the pack there for support, and Bella, who has to understand damn near every weird thing on Earth—whether you like her or not."

"Sam, I don't..." I began fruitlessly, but every nerve in my body was on fire. I had to see her.

I had to, but the how the hell was I going to make it work? She was my mortal enemy and she always would be. She couldn't ever be human again. For all my luck, she was probably a thousand years old in all reality.

"Fine," I muttered. "All you want anyway is for me to shut up."

Sam smiled, though it looked somewhat apologetic. "Your thoughts are very loud, and I can't quite blame you for something you can't control, so it would be better if you were happy. You act like I don't know at least some of what this is like."

He was right. He did understand the imprint, but he would never understand what _this_ imprint was like. Still, propelled by the insatiable desire to see her face again, at least once, I got out of bed and started to get dressed. Clothes were few and far between for me these days, especially with how often I phased by fucking accident, but I still managed to find a decent pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to wear. I pulled on my sneakers slowly, suddenly realizing that I had no idea where Reina lived. Who in the world could I get that kind of information from? Sam had left, citing the need to patrol the forest.

I sighed. Reina was close with Bella-the-Bloodsucker-Lover, so if I was going to get any information, it was going to be from her.

I fumbled for my cellphone, and dialed Jacob's number. He picked up on the fourth ring, just as the phone was about to go to voice mail. I rolled my eyes. So head over heels for a girl he hadn't even imprinted on.

"Hey, Jacob," I began, clearly tense. "This is going to sound weird as hell, but can you pass the phone to Bella?"

"What for?" he wondered, already on the defensive. I scowled.

"Just do it," I snapped. "You know I know better than to encroach on your _woman_."

"Whatever," he sighed. "Bella?"

I heard some static, and then a tiny voice. "H-Hello...?"

"Hey, Bella," I began awkwardly. "I don't wanna hear any shit for this. Don't ask me any questions. But, would you..."

I sighed, biting my lip so hard that I drew blood. "...happen to know where your vamp friend lives? Reina?"

"O-Oh!" she squeaked. "Well, do you know those apartments that just got built in Forks, near the convenient store? She lives there, apartment 2-B."

"Thanks," I sighed. "Remind me I owe you one next time I see you."

"No problem, Paul." Bella replied shyly.

 _"...please be nice to her..."_ I heard, just faintly, before the line went dead.

I sighed again. Clearly, she was well loved, despite her nature. But could I ever love her? It felt like I was turning my back on my pack, though Sam had given me his blessing personally. It would not have been the same, of course, if I had just been dumb enough to simply fall in love with the vixen of my own volition instead of imprinting on her. Still completely lost, only driven by this stupid, almost carnal desire to see her, I climbed into the front seat of my aging, rusty Jeep. I went into Forks a few times a month for various reasons, but I had never seen the apartments until now. They were definitely brand new, sleek and made of brick.

My entire chest hurt. I was ready to pass out. What if she just plain old refused me?

 _You would be so hurt you couldn't control yourself, and then hurt her like Sam did to Emily. Then you get to feel guilty for the rest of your life. Congratu-fucking-lations._

I scowled at my internal monologue, which had become far too pronounced during my isolation, and started walking up the stairs. Each stair I went up felt like I was walking up to the guillotine, right until I reached apartment 2-B. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. What if that wretched mother of hers was home? I did not see the same car that was at the rez the day I met them, so hopefully, that would not be a problem, but who knows with my luck.

Hesitantly, I knocked on the door, twice.

I heard a little bit of shuffling, and then a tiny grunt.

"I've got it, no need to get do something for your sister for once!"

That was...her. That was her voice. Instantly, it was my goddamn undoing. I started to sweat, and prayed silently that it would not show on my face just how nervous I was when she answered the door. I heard her hesitate for a moment, but then, slowly, she unlocked it and pulled it open.

She looked just as beautiful as I remembered, as I'd been imagining her for a week. My imagination had, for once, done something justice. She was a little more plain today, I guess, but she only looked comfortable to me. She was wearing a pair of leggings, sporting a pretty childish balloon print, a giant white T-Shirt, and fuzzy socks. Clearly, I didn't need to feel too bad about not dressing to the nines.

If...she even wanted to…

 _Ugh._

"It's you," she said, seeming to be in almost awe. "The boy from the reservation. Did...did I do something wrong? Please tell me my sister didn't slip up..."

I sighed internally. She was afraid of me; of course she fucking was. I had to be intimidating to her. I was just as supernatural and a foot taller.

Not to mention I had probably called her a slew of names in our first meeting, along with the rest of her family. That had to land me on her shit list, right?

"Sam is the alpha of our pack; I'm only third in command," I answered awkwardly. "You should only be worried if he comes to you."

"Oh," she perked up a little, and smiled that smile that had been in my every dream for seven fucking days. "What can I do for you, then?"

Then, unfortunately, that evil sister of hers came to the door.

"Hey!" she snapped, instantly revolted by my presence and pulling Reina away from me. "Nobody slipped up, or broke your precious rules. Go home!"

"I already said I'm not here for that," I snapped right back. "Don't you have super vamp hearing, or are you just as broken in the head as I think you are?"

The little brat scowled. "What do you want, then?"

"Calm down, Layla," Reina admonished lightly. "He'll tell us...I think. Why are you sweating? It's so cold outside."

I huffed, ready to get this over with. This would be the hardest part; it had to be.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go meet up with Jacob and Bella, Reina," I began. If I sounded nearly as nervous as I felt, it would be embarrassing. "They're just in the garage working on his damn bikes, but I'm sure we could find something to do."

"O-Oh," she blinked rapidly, clearly surprised. "That's an interesting offer. What brought this on?"

"Nothing in particular," I answered hurriedly, as her sister stared me down with a look that clearly said that if I didn't completely disgust her that I would be her next meal. "You don't have to. It's whatever."

It wasn't 'whatever' at all, though. I would probably die on the spot if she refused, I realized now.

I was indeed head over heels for my mortal enemy. Fuck my life.

"I should have known," her sister muttered. "It was written all over your face the second you looked at her."

"Shut up, Layla," Reina sighed. "Can I have a minute to get ready? I'll come with you."

I nodded slowly, trying to ignore Layla's scathing looks. She seemed to have fifty different ones, which was one thing I could relate to.

"Come inside," Reina offered politely. "I'll only be a minute. Have a seat."

One look back at Layla told me all the reasons I did not want to do that.

"I'll—uh—actually be in my Jeep," I mumbled, shoving my hands in my pocket. "That cool?"

She smiled. "That is cool. I'll be out in a minute."

And indeed a minute it was. I was barely in my truck and listening to the Alternative station play repeats of songs from ten years ago (that I unabashedly enjoyed still) before Reina showed up at my passenger's side window, waving politely. I unlocked the door for her, but it didn't hit me until she sat down that I should have opened the door for her instead.

Dammit. She really was going to think I was a chauvinistic pig by the end of this, if she didn't already.

She, of course, looked beautiful—the damn temptress. She had pulled part of her hair into a ponytail that hung down to the middle of her back, while the rest of it was down. She had a large bow in her hair, holding the ponytail in place...a little childish, again, but cute. She was a pair of black jeans that hugged her curves nicely, and a pink top with a loose neckline.

"So, off to see and Jacob and Bella?" she piped up as we took off down the driveway. Her sweet voice was so damn distracting that I was surprised I didn't end up wrecking the car right there.

"Yeah." I responded, still tense. I hoped I would relax, for both of our sakes, though I had stopped shaking now. I could see Jacob's look of surprise as I pulled into the driveway of his old man's place, and I tried to ignore it, if only out of nervousness. As head over heels as he was over the vampire lover, I did not want him to see me so vulnerable. But, hell, at this point…

He knew about everything I had been thinking while I was in wolf form the past week. Some of those things were…

Interesting, to put it lightly.

Reina hopped out of the car before I could try to remedy my lack of gentlemanly behavior before. What was she so excited about? She had to know Jake didn't care terribly for her just like the rest of the pack. He was quite easily the most intolerant of the bloodsuckers out of all of us, after what one of them did to his precious Bella.

"Hi, Bella!" she chirped, immediately running over to give her a hug. Jake cringed, and I could hear him growl at the display. I growled right back at him, though it shocked me immediately after.

Of course she would be excited to see her friend..duh. They really were close. Bella did not seem afraid in the slightest, and hugged Reina back full-force. Jacob relaxed his form a little, but remained wary.

"What are you two doing up here?" he asked, clearly on edge still. "I thought Sam sent you out to patrol, Paul."

"No," I answered curtly, but then realized I needed to stop acting like an ass if I wanted this day to work out in my favor. "I'm just taking Reina out for a little while. I was wondering if you and Bella wanted to come, too."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "That's awful kind of you. What do you think, Bels?"

"I guess it'll be good to get out of this garage for a while," Bella mumbled, stretching out. "I'm totally useless just watching Jake work on these bikes. I wouldn't know what to do if my car broke down in the middle of nowhere..."

Jacob gave her a lopsided grin. "You would call me and I'd save the day, of course!"

Bella rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Of course, Jake."

Reina had a lot of ideas on where to go, but we eventually settled on seeing a movie in Port Angeles and then getting dinner. I didn't go to the bigger cities in Washington often—I wasn't sure if I'd EVER been to Seattle—but Port Angeles was somewhat tolerable. However, I didn't like crowds, and Reina didn't seem to be too fond of them either. She was trying to keep herself hidden slightly behind me. I had almost freaked out as she reached for my hand, maybe to hold it, but she drew it back when she saw the stupid look on my face, which was probably a mean look.

I was just...scared. Not of her, but of falling for her. At this point my fight was draining every time she did something cute—which was a lot. Was it even worth fighting?

"Oh man," Jacob sighed. "I don't even know what's playing. Do you, Paul?"

I shook my head. "Just make it scary and full of blood. Don't care what we see as long as it makes me shit myself."

Reina giggled, and I melted.

 _Ugh…_

We eventually decided to see whatever sequel to _The Ring_ that was playing.

Would Reina get scared? Cheesy and stupid as it was, part of me hoped that she would, and jump in my arms or something. I banished the thought as soon as it entered my head, though. Was I even ready for her to touch me? I had never been touched by a vampire before, but Sam had told me it was generally unpleasant for us.

Cold, so cold it was like being burned...that couldn't be pleasant, right?

I tried to focus on the movie, but I couldn't. However, Reina was enthralled by it. I enjoyed watching her changing expressions and small reactions. It was much more entertaining than a stupid thriller.

To my shock, she did get scared. She squirmed a little in her seat before looking up at me.

"Is it too scary?" I joked. "That's funny coming from you."

"Her husband is gonna _die_ ," she whimpered. "This is too scary!"

I sighed. "Like you have a reason to be scared. You could snap this chick's neck with your pinky finger."

Reina gave me a sad look, and I bit back a groan. She really had no idea what kind of effect she had on me. Not even I knew it would be this bad. "But..."

Without thinking, I took her hand, which had been gripping the handle of her seat roughly.

"You're fine, okay?" I whispered. Reina looked surprised.

"You're so warm." she murmured.

And she was cold, but not in the way I imagined she would be. Her skin was soft, and not hard as granite, as Sam had often described it.

Her skin temperature was almost...soothing? It was so fucking weird. Holding her hand brought back memories of my mom placing a cold rag over my forehead whenever I had a fever. It was soothing, a relief to feel. I was struggling to get used to my raised temperature, but holding her hand made me feel like I did before I changed.

I almost felt normal again.

The movie ended, too soon for my liking. Reina let go of my hand and hopped up from the seat. To my shock, she had stolen some of my M&Ms...and eaten them. Was she some kind of extra special vampire?

This day had to be a fucking dream...everything about it.

"Are you really sure you want to go to dinner?" I whispered to Reina as we left the theater, though my stomach growled in protest. "I know you don't...um..."

Reina laughed. "No worries about that. I'm more adaptable than you know. I don't mind all human food. I love cake!"

When she said it like that, I wanted to shower her in it. She was so fucking cute, and I hated it.

We stopped at a small diner that Bella claimed to like. Being the only one who came into Port Angeles at all, we trusted her judgment. The waiter sat us down in a booth near the back, thankfully. I wanted to ask Reina some questions, at the very least. Maybe I wasn't fully ready to convince myself this was real yet, but I had to get to know her a little. Where was she from? How long had she been alive? Had she really ever killed a human? She was so innocent looking that I couldn't fathom that.

Once we were seated, the clumsy looking waitress pulled the menus out.

"Do you have any idea what you might want?" she asked politely.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Everything looks good. What do you recommend?"

The waitress giggled, clearly a little taken with him. I wondered if Bella noticed, or if she even cared. Maybe she really just want Jacob to be her friend. I was annoyed that she could string him on like she was, if that was the case, but it was impossible to figure out what that girl was really thinking.

"Well, I like everything here, but I were to recommend anything it would be the portabello mushroom and bacon burger. It's kind of what we're 'famous' for, I guess." she answered. That _did_ sound good. I wanted ten.

"I'll take two, and a large order of fries." I answered immediately, making Reina laugh again. I was already so certain that I wanted to keep hearing her laugh that I would do anything to make it happen.

Why did Sam have to be right? Why was this pull, this stupid attraction, so strong?

"I'll have the same." Jacob answered, licking his lips. Did he realize he was only entertaining that idiotic waitress more? _Now_ Bella looked appropriately annoyed. I almost wanted to laugh.

"Could I have a slice of chocolate cake and your hot tea with two sugars?" Reina asked politely. She was such a doll. Was that all she liked, sweets and hot drinks?

"Of course," the waitress answered cheerily, though most of her attention was focused on Jacob until she unwillingly tore her eyes away to look at Bella. "And, uh...you, ma'am?"

"I'll have the fried ravioli and a small coke." Bella answered tersely. Now I really wanted to laugh. Seeing Bella angry was like seeing a pissed off kitten. Boy would I kill to see her actually call this bitch of a waitress out.

When the waitress left to put our orders in, Jacob sighed.

"Bels, you really do need to eat more." he admonished, earning eye rolls all around the table.

"The waitress kind of killed my appetite, sorry." she responded curtly.

"She was making a lot of eyes at Jake," Reina murmured. "A little unprofessional on the job. I don't think I'm going to give her a good tip."

Jacob laughed at my horrified look. She really thought I would let her pay? She really did think I was some kind of pig!

"You're not paying, Reina," Jacob snorted. "Your man won't let you."

Before I could protest, Reina looked at me. "Really? That's very sweet of you, but I have plenty of money."

"Doesn't matter," I muttered. "Can't let a lady pay. Mom raised me better than that."

Reina giggled sweetly. "I can tell."

And that gave me way more relief than it should have. Maybe I had a chance to look like a decent person after all.

"The food is really good here, but the wait is a while." Bella warned us, seeming to have perked up a little after the waitress was forgotten about.

Reina appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions, Paul? I'd like to get to know you."

 _No, of course I don't mind, ask anything you want...and please say my name again…_

 _UGH._

"Sure, sure," I mumbled instead of whatever mushy shit that was. "Fire away, I guess."

"Okay!" Reina agreed with a grin. "Do you want to go first, Paul? Do you have any questions for me?"

 _Yes. Of course I have a million questions for you._

"Um," I mumbled. "Where were you born would be a good place to start, I guess."

Reina pursed her lips for a moment. "I suppose it would be just outside of where Venice, Italy is today? It was smaller then, I feel like. I haven't been back in a long time, but it's absolutely enchanting now. If you ever get the chance to travel overseas, I highly suggest Italy as a starting point."

I tried not to gape, but everything she said was so eloquent...and that explained the hint of an accent she had.

 _Got a hot Italian babe, Paul. Nice._

 _Really? Thinking like that this fast? Dumbass._

She smiled at me encouragingly. "May I ask you the same? Were you born on the reservation?"

I shook my head. "I was actually born in Tacoma, a bit far out from here."

Bella and Jacob started to talk about other things amongst themselves, so now it really was almost like Reina and I were alone. My nervousness grew tenfold.

"How...how old are you?" I asked, though I regretted it instantly. Women typically complained about being asked that question. And plus…

Part of me was afraid to hear the answer.

Reina looked a little nervous. "I was turned at the age of fifteen or sixteen...five hundred years ago. I was born during the Great Wars in Italy, so around that time."

And now my jaw really did drop. Reina flinched, clearly a little hurt by my response.

 _Idiot! It's not that big of a deal! You know she's a vampire, they're all fucking old!_

"I'm sixteen, too," I said, attempting to smile. "Nice to know you aren't too young. You look thirteen from some angles."

"Hey!" Reina pouted. "Some angles? How lewd!"

I couldn't help it now; I let out a full blown hearty laugh. Reina followed after a moment of pouting.

Was...this was love was supposed to feel like? I felt so warm, on the inside for once instead of only on the outside. Even though I'd only spent a few hours with her, and was still so skeptical then, I felt like I could tell her anything. I felt like she was a childhood best friend instead of an immortal enemy I'd imprinted on a week ago. My uncertainties were slowly starting to melt, one by one at my feet. I felt like I could trust her with my darkest secrets, and while it scared me, I knew it wouldn't hit until she was gone.

"Do you have any family around?" she asked politely, though she seemed a little hesitant to ask. Did she not believe me when I said was sixteen?

"I do," I answered. "My parents got a divorce when I was—uh—eight I guess. I've been living mostly with my dad since then. He brought me back here to live on the rez. I prefer it there, believe me, so don't feel bad for me."

She smiled encouragingly again. "No siblings?"

I laughed. "Not that I know of. I'm not quite sure what my mom is up to these days, though, so who the hell knows."

Man. I could be a little _too_ myself with her.

Scary. Still so scary.

"And you?" I asked, equally as hesitant. "I mean, aside the mean sister and your…mom."

Reina laughed. "You mean, my human family? Layla was actually my sister when I was human, too. Colette was not my mother, though. She turned us both when she found us alone and virtually homeless. My biological mother was mean as a snake, really. She doted on my brother for the most part, and Layla and I were cast to the side for not being _fit_ daughters. I guess she meant that I wanted to go to school and never get married, but I have no clue what her issue with my sister was. She was just mean. I loved my father, and my brother a lot, though. I really did."

I had never thought about it until now, but being immortal couldn't have been all sunshine and rainbows. She was fully aware that her entire human family, save for her sister, was dead.

I couldn't cope with something like that, even if my folks and I weren't too close.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. "I won't ask anything else."

"Don't be sorry," she assured me. "There isn't much more to know, anyway. I'm just old and weird."

"Not true." I said quickly, and mentally smacked myself on the forehead as soon as I realized it.

Still, she seemed unphased, though she smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Paul. I don't know why you took me out tonight, but I had fun."

And this, this was really going to be the hard part. I had to explain to her the imprint, and hope she didn't go running for the hills.

Could it wait a little while, though? Those burgers were coming right this way...

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's been sooo long, but surprise! Back at it again with a very long chapter and an appropriate theme for the day :)**

 **Sometimes I just get the urge to pick this story back up. It'll never be my main priority, since I'm working on non-fanfiction related things to hopefully get published someday in the future, but I'm sure I'll keep coming back to it when I get the desire. I've been writing this chapter on and off for a couple of weeks, but today I sat down and cranked out about...5.5k words? Geez, I wish I could do that on my non-fanfic story. Like, badly. It's sooo close to being done and just isn't getting there because...writer's block. Yay. Oh well.**

 **Leave me a review letting me know how I did, please! All feedback is appreciated...and favs/follows are also very much enjoyed.**

 **-PatchyVoile**


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